frustration Friday

Frustration Friday: Museum of Bad ideas

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I want a museum of bad ideas.

I want a museum (online or off) that is truly dedicated to the "it seemed like a good idea at the time" crowd of innovations, technologies, and so forth.  I don't just want snarky articles and annual "worst ofs," I want a shrine in concrete or pixels to the truly egregious ideas that people really thought were the next big thing.  I also want it as soon as possible.

I want this, because I both want to look back, and because I want a place to remind me of stupid stuff I've believed.  I figure everyone out there that tries and predicts things needs this.

One of the things we do here is predict the future.  Now Bonnie and I do pretty well, but we've made some real mistakes (remember when I thought the iPad was more slow burn?  Yeah, I keep reminding myself).  These mistakes would be easier to stop if there was one place to go to marinate myself in the well-meaning stupidity of the past.

Thus I want the Museum of Bad Ideas.

See, here's the thing.  I have plenty of ideas, and I know instinctively that some part of them are really awful.  I have plenty of theories of the future which I share endlessly here, and I know some will be near-mythical levels of dumb.  I'm just not sure, at the time, when I'm a genius and when I'm mistaking "enthralled with an idea" or "head up my ass" for "genius."

I figure If *I* fear that I'm being stupid, others do.  Those that don't fear being stupid, well, they're great for creating exhibits.

So, I think this museum is a great idea.

Of course my fear?  My fear is I'm wrong and this is a dumb idea.

– Steven Savage

Frustration Friday: Pay Attention To Egypt

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Last week Egypt took itself off of the internet.

Did you learn how it was done?  Try here. 

Do you think it can happen in your country, say America?

In fact, do you know even how you reach the internet and what your options are?

There are many lessons from what's happening in Egypt.  I hope for a quick and positive resolution, the minimal amount of casualties, and the best for all.  I also hope people take a serious hard took at the Internet and how important it is because someone turned off a country.

Some time ago I ranted on how people really didn't understand how the modern world was possible and why things ran the way they did.  I've praised shows like Dirty Jobs and Mythbusters for showing us how the world works (while often being funny and blowing stuff up).  This is the serious side of all my little tirades.

Someone shut a country off the internet.  Yes, many people are noting that's horrible.  Some particularly egregious individuals are probably looking at Egypt and getting ideas.

We're geeks, progeeks, the modern-day literati.  We need to know how information and culture works – and what can screw it up.  We also are the kind of people who can be aware of it and help raise awareness because we're neck-deep in tech, communications, and media.

– Steven Savage

Frustration Friday: Go Do It!

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Dear people who are waiting for the right time to start their business, change their career, etc.

Do it.  Just do it.  Shut up and do it for the god's sake.

I meet these people all the time – people that may be like you.  I know these people.  Bright, creative, amazing, imaginative.  I can't even think of anyone I know that I'd consider boring and unimaginative right now.

These people, these wonderful people, you the reader out there, need to stop waiting to live your dreams.  You, your dreams, are too interesting, to good, too strong, to you to let go to waste.

You say the economy is bad?  Look we don't know what's going to happen, so live those dreams as they probably give you a better chance to survive this bad economy.

You say you're not ready?  If you wait for the perfect time it will never come.  Perfection doesn't work, perfection is an illusion, a foundation of sand in the middle of a hallucinated mirage (how's that for nutty metaphor?)

You say your skills aren't up to it?  Then go learn.  There are books courses and mentors to help you learn.

You say your idea won't sell or you can't get a job – if so why have so many others done the same thing?

Do it.  Shut up and do it.  Make that dream come true.

Then tell me about it and I'll interview you and you can share your amazing adventures with everyone else and inspire them to do more amazing things too.

– Steven Savage